Exploring Robot-Child Interaction With Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Schoolchildren

• In Event: Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Research on Innovations in Learning Technologies

Abstract

This study explored the viability of a robot to help provide inclusive contexts for children in public schools. We designed robot-mediated collaborative activities for kindergartners in the U.S., whose home language was either English or Spanish. Through ethnographic observation of twenty-four children paired cross-culturally, we examined children’s participation patterns in the activities over a semester. We found that children were more engaged in the activities when mediated by a robot than by a human. When encouraged, children made observable efforts to work together even over occasional language barriers.

Authors

• Yanghee Kim, Northern Illinois University

• Elizabeth Bingham

• Sherry A. Marx, Utah State University

• Tung Nguyen, Auburn University

• Hung Pham, Auburn University